Lubricator.



H. s. CAMPBELL.

LUBRICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21, 1913.

1 1 66, 1&1 Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

WITNESSES IIVVE/VTOR M/ ikirffi 15/, @W

attain? Rename. s. CAMPBELL, or srisaw PLAINS, 'rnnnnssnn.

LUIBBICATUR.

specification of Letters ratent.

Llltitiflldll.

Application filed .Tune 21, 1913.

v useful Improvement in Lubricators, of

which the following is a specification, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing.

My impro gement relates particularly to lubricators for rock drillsoperated by steam, compressed air, or similar elastic fluid; but theimprovement is applicable also to lubricators for other machines.

The object of the improvement is to provide a lubricator'which shalldeliver oil in e'veqpuantities and be durable upon ma chines undergoingsevere vibration or jarring. Rock drills and similar instrumentsoperating by violent impact put severe strains upon lubricators, tendingto destroy the lubricators and to make the feed uneven and unreliable,wastefully large quantities of oil being fed out or insufficientquantities being fed out and the machinery consequently injured for wantof oil.

In the accompanying drawings, is an upright section ofa lubricatorembodying my improvement; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line,2-2, of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section onthe line, 3'3, of Fig.1; Fig. i is a horizontal section on the line, 4-4, of Fig. 1, lookingdownward; Fig. 5 is a section on the same line, looking upward.

Referring to said drawings, A, is the body of the lubricator. At itslower end said body has a screw-threaded opening, 1, into which isthreaded the column, B. Said column comprises a relatively lzii'gecylindrical lower portion, 2, an upper portion, 3,

of less diameter, a cap, 4c, spring, 5, annular plate, 6, and ball, 7.The lower portion, 2, of the column is exteriorly screw-threaded to fitinto the opening, 1, in the body, A, and extend downward below the bodyto form a screw-threaded stem adapted to be threaded into the wall ofthe drill or other machine, and to receive a jam nut, 8, and bearagainst the lower end of the body.

The portion, 3, of the column, 18, within the body, A, is of smallerdiameter and its upper end is exteriorly screw-threaded. From its lowerend to a point a little way above the bottom of the body, A, 'saidcolumn has a bore, 9, of suitable diameter only for the passage of steamor other elas:

Figure 1' Serial l lo. 775,095.

tic fluid. Above said point said bore is large enough to receive a ball,7, and a stem, lO, projecting downward from the cap, 4:, and leavingspace between said stem and the wall of the column. The cap, 4, has adownwardly-directed interibrly-threaded flange, 11, fitting around theupper threaded portion, 3, of the column. In its top, said cap has aslot, 12, to receive a screw driver. In

I the upper end of the body, A, is a threaded opening, 13, in whichrests a plug, C. Said openmg is to be of proper size to allow the1nserti on of a screw-driver or other tool for engaging the cap, 4:, toturn the latter, and for the insertion of lubricant.

The stem, 10, on the cap is long enough to nearly touch the ball, 7,when the latter. rests on the seat formed. around the enlarged upperportion of the bore, 9. A little'way above said seat, the wall of thecolumn, B, has two apertures, 14, for the passage of oil from the body,A, into and downward through the column, 13. Two similar apertures, 15,are formed in the cap above said column. Said apertures are also for thepassage of oil, as Wlll be hereinafter described.

The lower face, 16, oi the flange, 11, of the cap is made irregular,corrugated, or undulated. Beneath said cap, the portion, 3,

of the column is loosely surrounded by the annular washer or plate, 6,which has its upper face irregular, corrugated, or undulated. Saidwasher has an inner tooth, 17, which enters an upright groove, 18, onthe adjacent portion of the column to prevent said plate from turning onthe column. Below said plate theexpanding coiled spring, 5, surroundsthe portion, 2, of the column and bears by its upper end against saidplate and by its lower end against the portion, 2, of the column,whereby said plate is con stantly. pressed upward against the annularface, 16, of the cap for the making of a -trictional engagement betweensaid plate and said cap to restrain the rotation of the latter.

By practicel have repeatedly found that it is diiiicult to maintain thiscap in position without the use of such a frictional resistance member.I have found that, without such means for resisting therotation of saidcap, the cap will move nownward more and more until it and the ball, 7,-are bound tightly to the portion, 3, of the column. This, it will beseen, is due to the impact of the drill tools against the rock, theaction upon such cap being the same in nature as Patented Dec. an,1915..

the action upon an ordinary hammer or ax, when the handle is buttedendwise against some relatively stationary object. Such action upon saidcap is overcome by the resistance to .rotation offered by said washer.Said washer is a yielding member resisting the rotation of said cap.

The lower'portion, 2, of the column, B, is made a little larger than thediameter of the cap, 0, in order that the column, with all its parts inplace, may be removed through the lower portion of the body, A; or thatthe body, A, may be turned to run upward on the threads of the portion,2, of the column, until it is free from the column, and then liftedentirely away, the opening, 1, of the body, A, being large enough topass the column. This permits convenient separation of the parts to makeadjustments and repairs. The ball, 7, tends to rest upon its seat andprevent the flow of oil from the body, A, downward through the lowerpor.- tion of the column. The vibrations of the lubricator, which aretransmitted to the latter during the operation of the drill, rock theball and thereby cause it to leave its seat sufliciently to allow oil toflow downward through the bore of the column. The quantity of oil thuspassing depends upon the degree of fluidity of the oil, the degree ofVibration and the height of the cap stem, 10, above the ball. Thethicker the oil, the less the Vibration, and the closer the lower end ofsaid stem stands to the ball when the latter is on its seat, the lesswill be the flow.

. For varying such flows, the cap is turned to raise or lower the stem,10; and such adjustment is maintained by the action of the spring, 5,and the annular plate, 6, upon the cap, as already described.

\Vhen the drill is operated by steam, provision must be, made for the.accumulation of water of condensation in the lower portion of the body,A. This is done by plugging the apertures, 14, in the portion, 3, of thecolumn adjacent the ball. The water coming from the condensation ofsteam passing upward through the column and through the apertures, 15,in the cap may accumulate in the portion of the body, A, below the levelof said apertures. While said water thus rises, it lifts the oil moreand more and allows it to flow into the column through said apertures,15. WVhen the water reaches said level, it mustbe removed. That may bedone by drawing the drain plug, 19, in the lower portion of the body, A.

Thus the same mechanism constitutes an efiicient lubricator for the useof either steam or air, changing from air to steam requiring merelyplugglng the apertures, 11, and

changing from steam to air requiring merely the unplugging of saidapertures, 14. T1115 is animportant feature; for some times on the samework some drills are operated with air and others are atthe same timeoperated with steam, and at times on the same work I .ing in its bottom,a column extending into said body and having an enlarged lowercylindrical portion externally-threaded to fit lnto said opening, suchthreading extending over a length exceeding the thickness of the wallaround said screw-threaded opening plus the thickness of a jam-nutsufficient to leave a portion of said enlarged portion forscrew-threading into the wall of a machine after said'enlarged portionhas been threaded into the body, and a jamnut, and said column having anaxial bore extending from end to end and the upper portion of said'borebeing larger than the lower portion, whereby a ball seat is formed, andsaid column comprising an adjustable cap and having an oil port, a balllocated within said column between said seat and said cap, and a jam-nut surrounding the enlarged portion of said column and bearingagainst the lower end of said hollow body, substantially as described.

2. In a lubricator, the combination of a hollow body having ascrew-threaded opening at its bottom, a column extending into said bodyand having an enlarged lower portion exteriorly-threaded to fit intosaid opening and extending below the latter, and said column having anaxial bore extending from end to end and the upper portion of such borebeing larger than the lower portion, whereby aball seat is formed, andcomprising an adjustable cap having a stem extending into said bore, andsaid column having an oil port, and a ball located within said columnbetween said seat and said stem, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name, in presence of twowitnesses, this second day of June,.in the year one thousand ninehundred and thirteen.

ROBERT S. CAMPBELL.

Witnesses:

CYRUS Kenn, RoY A. JOHNSTON.

